There have been several supposedly scientific studies published this year that either disparaged people of faith or insidiously mocked religion.

That includes a study, published in the journal Science, which asserted that people who believe in God are not analytical thinkers.

There also was a study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, which claimed that highly religious folk are less compassionate toward the needy than atheists.

Now comes yet another study, published this week in the Journal of Sex Research, which claims that adult film actresses are actually more religious than women who dont get paid to have sex on camera.

In terms of psychological characteristics, the studys five co-authors concluded, porn actresses had higher levels of spirituality compared to the matched group.

This dubious study would be unworthy of comment except that it has gotten a lot of media coverage. It pretends to be scholarly research. But its nothing more than junk science.

Indeed, for those who blindly accept its findings, it leads to the absurd conclusion that there is some sort of link between sexual depravity and religiosity.

Uncritical thinkers could come away with the cockeyed notion that, just because a woman is sexually depraved  because she is a stripper or a prostitute or a porn actress  doesnt mean she isnt a woman of faith. Doesnt mean she doesnt love the Lord.

The authors of the Journal of Sex Research study argue that their findings disprove the damaged goods hypothesis with respect to female performers in the adult entertainment industry.

But close examination of the studys methodology reveal obvious flaws that skew its findings.

It relied on the self-reporting of 177 porn actresses who responded to an advertisement posted at a Los Angeles health clinic, which was founded by a retired porn actress, and which catered to the adult film industry (before it was shut down last year by the L.A. County Health Department).

Apparently, it did not occur to the studys authors that self-delusional porn actresses might misrepresent themselves as well-adjusted.

Might claim to have higher self-esteem, more positive feelings about themselves, a better support system, a more satisfying sex life and even a closer relationship with the Lord than women who dont defile themselves for all the world to see.

The reality is that the 177 porn actresses who responded to the survey on which the study published in the Journal of Sex Research was based are indeed damaged goods.

And there is no better authority on the subject than Shelley Lubben, a former porn actress and born-again Christian. She is currently the Executive Director of the Pink Cross Foundation, a faith-based organization that reaches out to women caught up in the adult film industry.

The pornography business destroys body and soul, Lubben attests. Many porn actresses battle alcohol and drug abuse. They perform sex acts that are physically harmful and psychologically traumatizing. They contract sexually transmitted diseases.

There is a way for porn actresses to avoid that almost certain fate  give their lives to Christ. For whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

We all deal with our sinful nature and the Holy Spirit is always in the process of sanctification. Perhaps the Spirit is working on other parts of a sinful nature that have led to the occupation. Perhaps the actress is stuck. Many Christians get stuck.

God’s ways of dealing with His people are not our ways. I would not assume that a porn actress is not a Christian anymore than I would assume someone obese from gluttony is not a Christian.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgivenfor she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.
Luke 7:44-47
The forgiveness is available if a person truly repents...no matter what their previous lifestyle or past sins are.

4
posted on 11/28/2012 7:16:49 AM PST
by loveitor..
("I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours..." Ronald Reagan)

Can a working porn star be a Christian, as in someone who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, yes absolutely. Christians often backslide into “wordly” ways but it doesnt change the fact that they will still end up in Heaven on the day of judgment. But can a working porn star be a better christian than the average person, I would say no. Their job itself is contrary to what the Bible teachers.

“That includes a study, published in the journal Science, which asserted that people who believe in God are not analytical thinkers.”

The two pertinent descriptions of the word analytical are first, “separating something into component parts or constituent elements.” This fails for the reason that God, by definition, cannot be separated into component parts or constituent elements. If God can be analyzed in this way, it is not God. However, everything else in reality *can* be analyzed in this way. Religious people have no problem making this distinction. So it can be accurately said that people who *do not* believe in God are incapable of imagining a singularity, God, that cannot be analyzed. It is their deficiency.

“There also was a study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, which claimed that ‘highly religious’ folk are less compassionate toward the needy than atheists.”

Easily proven as false. Atheists can be “compassionate” and “caring” all day, yet help no one. They may give money to hypothetical charities that help no one. And they may even *define* persuading others to be atheists as being in some way “compassionate.” Personal emotional gratification is not real compassion. And advocating the use of government to harm one group of people to benefit another group of people is not compassion, and, as H.L. Mencken observed, such people are S.O.B.s.

Religious people, on the other hand, by a long way, directly help the needy by giving to *them*, and they do so for both religious and altruistic reasons. They neither seek to control or dominate those they provide charity, which is another positive trait.

“Now comes yet another study, published this week in the Journal of Sex Research, which claims that adult film actresses are actually more religious than women who dont get paid to.”

This is little more than hypocrisy, guilt, and rationalization balled up into one. Such women know what they are doing is physically and spiritually and psychologically wrong and damaging. So they first try to justify their actions, then try to overcome their deep and abiding guilt, and are finally hypocritical about the whole thing.

It has long been known that one of the biggest reasons for prostitution is that prostitutes are often “attention junkies”. They invariably insist that they do not like being prostitutes, and want to get out of the business; but they just cannot escape the attention they are given by others. Pimps are expert in doling out attention, and it doesn’t matter if the attention is bad or good; beating them one minute and dancing with them the next.

There is an easy cue to the very low self esteem and craving for attention in such women. Excessive finger rings and tattoos are often sure signs.

In Europe, where prostitution is often legal, many prostitutes are devout church goers. This does not mean that they are spiritual, just that they are filled with guilt and endless promises to themselves to stop doing what they do. They rarely quit until they are too old and ugly, then they are discarded.

Long ago I attended a very legalistic evangelical church...I can EASILY see how that church and its attendees get called judgmental and more. Many Christians are guilty of both hypocrisy and judgementalism when they relate to the world. We have but to look at Christ and how He handled the woman at the well to know how to deal with someone in sin...You do so in love. Lost on a lot of folks.

HOWEVER,

The left in this country, the ones who are decidedly not Christian and fight against it in nearly every way, both openly and quietly (when needed) support the subversion of Christianity for their own purposes. I call out any Christian who calls themselves a Christian to explain to me how they are indeed a Christian and God agrees with them practicing homosexuality and that it is NOT a sin...or that abortion is NOT a sin, or any other clearly defined sin is NOT a sin but they are indeed Christians with nothing wrong between them and God. THATS the problem.

The left LOVES to judges us with our own faith and at the same time use perversion of that faith to justify themselves to others...like their ridiculous use of “Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.” It is used to disarm arguments against them. The homosexual agenda has been well served by subverting many denominations solely to be USED as the useful idiots they are for supporting their lifestyle choice. it has clearly worked well for them.

What the left does not want is any form of absolute or any form of judgment of their lifestyle. they do NOT want accountability as it REQUIRES of them a thing they hate when caught...responsibility. Whether it is the creation of another “inconvenient human being” or the fact that they got caught cheating on a commitment (many on the right guilty as well) but the institutionalized way of resisting is on the left far more than the right. The fact remains...they do it this way to gain earthly approval and justification for the life the CHOOSE to lead. Nothing more.

19
posted on 11/28/2012 7:57:15 AM PST
by ICE-FLYER
(God bless and keep the United States of America)

If their life is really changed, they will find a way out. There’s plenty of help available. They might not make as much money on the deal.

That said, let’s look at another aspect. These actresses have “higher self-esteem”. So, then, why are they using drugs? There’s another demographic that tends to have high self-esteem. And the higher the self-esteem, the less they often have to back it up with.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27 but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28 He who despised Moses’ Law died without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy of punishment, the one who has trampled the Son of God, and who has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know Him who has said, “Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, says the Lord.” And again, “The Lord shall judge His people.”
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

That includes a study, published in the journal Science, which asserted that people who believe in God are not analytical thinkers.

Tell that to St Thomas Aquinas, whose approach to analytical thinking and the dialectical method approaches Spock-level, if not surpassing it. One might not agree with his conclusions (or even some of his premises), but there's no denying that the man was a rigorous thinker.

Or St Augustine.

Or Professor Einstein.

I would myself assert that people who believe that people who believe in God are not analytical thinkers are themselves not thinking analytically but uncritically regurgitating commonplace bromides produced by amateur intermalekshals who fondly want to believe that merely holding certain opinions automatically either excludes one from consideration as a human being, or else elevates one to unassailable empyrean heights beyond reproach or criticism.

In thinking circles, this is called "being lazily and intolerantly (as well as intolerably) stupid."

Excellent analysis, but I would venture that your average libtard would argue with this statement:

Religious people, on the other hand, by a long way, directly help the needy by giving to *them*, and they do so for both religious and altruistic reasons. They neither seek to control or dominate those they provide charity, which is another positive trait.

According to the libtard, a religious charity operating a soup kitchen/flophouse for homeless/winos is seeking to control them by having them attend a short devotional before retiring or even saying grace before the meal.

In reality, the religious charity is simply trying to put the homeless/wino in touch with their spiritual side as the first step in a long process to solving the problem.

The libtard, of course, is only interesting in enabling and perpetuating the problem as a tool to help themselves to further political power.

I suspect the porn actress is no different. She has serious personal issues which led her into that line of work. Discovering religion or getting in touch with her spiritual side may be the first step toward getting out of that lifestyle, but as long as her john, libtard friends and/or other exploiters can just keep her nipping at the edges of her spirituality sort of like Joe Biden's claims for "his Catholic faith" in the VP debate, she will never make the full journey out.

A boyhood friend of mine lost his wife to cancer about five years ago and was seriously interested in finding a replacement a.s.a.p. He even went on-line and met a former porn actress who had gotten into religion to the extent that he felt she was sincere, bought her an airline ticket and arranged for her to stay the weekend with another lady friend. He discovered that despite all of the phone calls and "get to know you" talks before he sprung for the airline ticket, she had very serious issues which he knew he would never be able to deal with. She was not happy when he drove her back to the airport.

27
posted on 11/28/2012 8:35:14 AM PST
by Vigilanteman
(Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)

I believe it was police novelist Joseph Wambaugh who noted that when prostitutes leave the business, about the only suitable mate for them are policemen, because there are no illusions in either case.

Instead, theirs is a relationship of mutual understanding and some degree of sadness. The feeling that to some extent they are both emotionally damaged goods, that they both have experienced things which had harmed their souls, and that what redemption that may find begins with kindness, gentleness and healing.

28 What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard.

29 I will not, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, I will, sir, but he did not go.

31 Which of the two did what his father wanted?

The first, they answered.

Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; . . For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." 1 Thess 4-1-8

In other words, to reject God's commandment against sexual immorality and make it your profession, is a rejection of God.

actions speak louder than words.....IMO you can stand on a street corner and repeatedly shout out that you've "accepted Jesus" into your heart, but if you go home and beat your children and your wife, cheat on your taxes, watch porn, etc......you have NOT accepted Jesus Christ....

" Being a Christian is kind of like being a lady.....if you have to tell people you are one, you're not..."

Can a working porn star be a Christian, as in someone who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, yes absolutely.

(1) Show us a passage in the New Testament which demonstrates your ability to (a) judge absolutely, and (b) whether another human is or is not "indwelt by the Holy Ghost." (2) Show us a passage in the New Testament which demonstrates an example of a practicing fornicator or adulterer who, doing so, is at the same time a regenerated believer-disciple-priest follower of Jesus as Christ and LORD, which is the only valid description of a Christian. (Compare this to Galatians 5:19-21, which is the Holy Spirit speaking.)

Christians often backslide into wordly ways but it doesnt change the fact that they will still end up in Heaven on the day of judgment.

(3) Please find any passage in the New Testament that uses a term translated as "backslider" (noun), or "to backslide" (verb). (4) Please find a passage upon which to establish the doctrine under which a person claiming eternal spiritual life is permitted to be engaged in the deliberate and unremitting practice of fornication and/or adultery (or any other named sin). (I think you mean "worldly" here, not "wordly.") (Compare with 1 John 2:4; 3:6,8 to start) (5) Tell me which instance of these judgments is the one to which your statement refers, please.: There are three regarding humans and involving Jesus, The Christ and LORD, as mentioned in the New Testament. (a) One is the judgment of their sins borne by Him in His body on His Cross-death, for which those who have persistently committed trust in Him and His Faith have received remission. (b) One is the heavenly judgment by Jesus, The Christ, of the works of resurrected regenerated believer-disciples prior to His return to rule in the earthly sphere. (c) One is the final judgment of The Christ, the Almighty God to reward the humans who in their physical life rejected Him and His terms of redemption, and remained children and bondslaves of Satan for their willful, unrepentant, and unremitted practice of sin, with eternal death and everlasting torment.

It will be interesting to find out on what authority you presumed to be able to make your statements. Or, if you cannot convince yourself and others, a willingness to take them back. I believe it is very important to make careful distinctions in such a situation, and not to encourage false assumptions.

44
posted on 11/28/2012 9:53:38 AM PST
by imardmd1
(Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. Ps 66:16)

James 1: 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James is writing to "brothers and sisters". This means he is writing to fellow Christians. He is not doubting their standing as Christians while at the same time he is telling them to get rid of all moral filth. To put it another way, James is telling morally filthy Christians to accept the word "planted in you".

If we apply this to the porn star then James would be accepting her as a fellow sister in Christ yet encouraging her to rid herself of her sin by trusting the word that resides in her.

Can you still claim to have freedom of religion once you start putting restrictions on whos allowed to be religous?

"Freedom of religion" seems to refer to freedom of thought or belief. It does not refer to expression of religion in speaking, publications, or practice. The expression of religion will be subject to restriction depending on its direct impact on others materially and physically.

48
posted on 11/28/2012 10:16:22 AM PST
by imardmd1
(Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. Ps 66:16)

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